Vane pump assembly tool



Feb. 6, 1968 M. A. SAINZ VANE PUMP ASSEMBLY TOOL Filed May 16, 1966 I N VEN TOR MGHAEL A SAM/z United States Patent Ofiice 3,367,016 Patented Feb. 6, 1968 3,367,016 VANE PUMP ASSEMBLY TOOL Michael A. Sainz, 245 Lake Drive, San Bruno, Calif. 94066 Filed May 16, 1966, Ser. No. 550,489 3 Claims. (Cl. 29-270) My present invention relates to a vane pump assembly tool and more particularly to a tool for inserting spring pressed vane forming members carried by the rotor of a hydraulic pump.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a tool for assembling the springs and vane forming members upon the rotor of a power steering pump having four spring pressed vane forming members carried by the rotor.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple, practical and effective tool for assembling vane forming members of a rotary pump in condition for insertion into an eccentric rotor encircling cylinder.

Another object of the invention is to provide a practical and efficient tool for retaining the quadrant spaced vane forming members of a rotary pump in compressed conditions for insertion into an eccentric pump cylinder and including means for retaining the vane forming members in position upon the rotor for a withdrawal of the vane positioning member after insertion into the eccentric cylinder of the pump.

Other objects and advantages will be in part evident to those skilled in the art and in part pointed out hereinafter in the accompanying description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein there is shown by way of illustration and not of limitation a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of my tool, showing the parts in cooperating relation,

FIGURE 2 is a front view of the tool as shown in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 shows a particular type of vane forming member with which my invention is particularly suited, and

FIGURES 4, 5 and 6, show three different stages in the operation of my tool during an assembly operation.

Reference is now made to FIGURES 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawing wherein the numeral designates an outer or main cylindrical member into which there is slidably mounted an inner cylindrical member 11 is freely movable within an upper portion 12 of the main cylindrical member 10. At its lower end, the cylindrical member 10 has an extending portion 13 with an opening 14 at one side thereof. At this opening, as indicated in the drawing, the edges of the opening 14 have feathered edges 15 at each side thereof. Extending upwardly from the main cylindrical member 10, there is a bale or handle 16 by which the cylindrical member 10 may be withdrawn from an assembled pump while the vanes of the pump are held confined within the eccentrictly disposed rotor accommodating wall of the pump as will hereinafter appear.

My improved tool has been designed primarily for, and will be found particularly useful in the assembly of the pumps such as are used in the power steering systems of Chrysler automobiles. Therefore, the following description as to its mode of operation will be directed particularly to the problem as encountered in assembling this particular type of pump. As shown in FIGURE 3 of the drawings, the vane forming members of the power steering pump take the form of a flanged vanes 17 which are spring pressed into engagement with an eccentric wall of the pump by springs 18 located one at each end thereof. With this type of vane forming member, the problem of assembling the four vanes upon the rotor, here designated by the numeral 19, prior to the insertion of the rotor into an eccentric pump cylinder wall 20 has presented a difficult problem for the average automobile mechanic. In the instructions which are supplied by the manufacturers for this operation, it has been suggested that the four vanes 17 be bound in position by an encircling length of wire with a slip knot that will permit a withdrawal of the wire after the rotor 19 with the vanes 17 have been partially inserted into the pump cylinder. This operation has been found quite difficult in performance as it very often happens that the wire becomes detached and/or is difficult to remove when the rotor is finally inserted into a deep cavity formed about the pump cylinder by the outer pump housing. It is, therefore, the particular object of the invention to provide a tool which will overcome this difiiculty.

As shown in the remaining figures of the drawing, the rotor 19 is in the form of a true cylinder of a length corresponding to the length of the vanes 17 and it has four equally spaced grooves or vane accommodating slots 21 into which similar vane forming members 17, with their springs 18, are mounted when the pump is assembled. In addition to the vane accommodating slots 21, the rotor element 19 also has an upwardly extending shaft 22 wit-h a hexagonal socket 23 for a wrench or the like. This shaft 22 extends outwardly and upwardly, as here viewed, for a distance of from three to four inches and when the rotor 19 is located in the eccentric pump wall forming member 20, this shaft 22 will project upwardly into the member 11 to such a distance that the manipulation of any other type of tool or vane positioning means, such as the tying wire referred to above, renders the operation doubly difiicult.

In FIGURE 4 of the drawings, the vane retaining portion 13 of the main member 10 of my tool is shown with the rotor 19 positioned therein and rotated to a point where the last of four of the vanes 17 is about to be inserted into the fourth vane accommodating groove or slot 21 carried thereby. Then following this operation the rotor 19 will be turned within the portion 13 of the tool 10 to a point as shown in FIGURE 5 where the last of the vanes 17 have been inserted and held within the rotor by the feathered edges 15 of the extension 13. When the vanes 17 have all been assembled in the rotor 19 as here indicated, the tool with the rotor and vanes 17 thus captivated is inserted into the eccentric wall forming member 20 of the pump without any tie wires or any other retaining means. At this point the cylindrical member 11 will be inserted into the cylindrical portion 12 of the outer or main cylindrical member 10 and brought into engagement with the outer end of the rotor and the ends of the vanes 17 and held in this position while the extending portion 13 of the cylindrical member 10 is withdrawn from the pump housing. This will prevent endwise displacement of the vanes 17 and permit them to assume the positions in contact relation with the eccentricwall forming member 20 as shown in FIGURE 6. After this the additional elements of the pump assembly. such as a hearing for the shaft 22, will be finally added to complete the pump.

While I have, for the sake of clearness and in order to disclose my invention so that the same can be readily understood, described and illustrated a specific form and arrangement, I desire to have it understood that this invention is not limited to the specific form disclosed, but may be embodied in other ways that will suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art. It is believed that this invention is new and all such changes as come within the scope of the appended claim are to be considered as part of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A vane pump assembly tool for inserting a pump rotor with spring pressed and spaced vane forming members in an eccentric rotor accommodating cylinder, comprising a main cylinder having anextending semi-circular portion with an open quadrant corresponding substantially with the spacing of the vane forming elements of the pump, said quadrant having featured edges at each side thereof, whereby said rotor with the vane members will be held in cylindrical form for insertion into an eccentric pump cylinder when the tool is in use, and a secondary cylinder, movable in telescoping relation within said main cylinder for holding the vane forming members of the rotor within the eccentric cylinder of the pump as said main cylinder is withdrawn from the pump assembly.

2. The invention as set forth in claim 1, characterized by the factthat said main cylinder has an upstanding 4 bale forming member to facilitate withdrawal thereof after the rotor with its vane elements have been positioned in the eccentric cylinder of the pump.

3. The invention as set forth in claim 1, wherein the feathered edges at the quadrant of said main cylinder have a spacing sufficient to engage and hold the two adjacent vane forming members in a compressed position upon the rotor for insertion into the pump cylinder.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,506,258 8/1924 Shaw 29-280 1,576,534 3/1926 Miller 29-280 3,008,226 11/1961 Kellerman 29-280 X 3,067,801 12/1962 Sortor 29282 X 3,266,347 8/1966 Robertson 29-275 X MYRON C. KRUSE, Primary Examiner. 

1. A VANE PUMP ASSEMBLY TOOL FOR INSERTING A PUMP ROTOR WITH SPRING PRESSED AND SPACED VANE FORMING MEMBERS IN AN ECCENTRIC ROTOR ACCOMMODATING CYLINDER, COMPRISING A MAIN CYLINDER HAVING AN EXTENDING SEMI-CIRCULAR PORTION WITH AN OPEN QUADRANT CORRESPONDING SUBSTANTIALLY WITH THE SPACING OF THE VANE FORMING ELEMENTS OF THE PUMP, SAID QUADRANT HAVING FEATURED EDGES AT EACH SIDE THEREOF, WHEREBY SAID ROTOR WITH THE VANE MEMBERS WILL BE HELD IN CYLINDRICAL FORM FOR INSERTION INTO AN ECCENTRIC PUMP CYLINDER WHEN THE TOOL IS IN USE, AND A SECONDARY CYLINDER, MOVABLE IN TELESCOPING RELATION WITH SAID MAIN CYLINDER FOR HOLDING THE VANE FORMING MEMBERS 